In Grace's Name
by UniversePepperland
Summary: What happens when a young Gopher Snake enters the Mojave Desert but doesn't knows how to survive in it?R.JakexOC
1. Chapter 1

"Good morning Grace." A cooing, gentle voice awoke the young Gopher Snake from her deep slumber "Time for your lunch." The voice said, opening the cage's door and dropping a dead mouse inside. Grace flicked her tongue into the air and scooted closer, biting the dead animal before swallowing it slowly, giving her handler a kind smile, even though Alice couldn't see it. The ebony colored woman fed the other snakes before disappearing behind the door ,making the gopher raise her head with an innocent smile "Bye Alice!"

"She can't hear you, you know." Came a sad, accented voice from the other side of the room belonging to an Albino Boa Constrictor named Victor. Grace smiled "What? Of course she can!" she objected, earning a chuckle from another snake on the room "Grace, darling, you are so innocent. Humans are not like us. "The smooth voice belonged to an Indian Cobra who was gracefully curled on her corner "You need to understand they are not our friends."

Grace narrowed her eyes "Alice is my friend, okay? I can see it on her eyes!" she commented, pouting a bit when the Cobra laughed "Why are do you always say that, Elizabeth?" the young snake asked, making the black viper pause and look at her side "Because I know it, Grace. How do you think I ended up here?"

"Because you didn't wanted to be alone?"

Elizabeth sighed, placing the tip of her tail on her forehead and rubbing it slowly. Grace was the youngest snake in the room, she never left the serpentarium…actually she was brought here as an egg so she didn't knew how tough and wild the world could be. Ever since she was born, Grace had difficult to kill her preys because her venom was too weak- she was born with some kind of dysfunction that made her eyes a light gray and her venom much weaker than the others of her species- so all the preys she got were dead.

Both older snakes talked sometimes of what would happen if Grace was released back in the desert where she was born, would she survive? Would she be able to know how to take care of herself? Victor, being the pessimist, said she wouldn't last three days and even wanted to bet with Elizabeth about it. The poor thing was too naïve and too innocent to even know what was happening.

"Sleep Grace, just sleep." Elizabeth said with a wave of her tail. And sleep Grace did.

But it wasn't for long, until Alice came walking towards Grace's cage with the snake stick grabbing the young Gopher Snake by the neck and sliding her to an red cage and locking the small door. Elizabeth and Victor widened their eyes "Oh no…" she Cobra whispered "Grace! GRACE!" she called, the Gopher smiled innocently, waving the tip of her tail on their direction.

Poor thing didn't know she wouldn't come back.

Grace looked through the holes on the red box, blinking at the blurred images that she saw "Alice where are we going?" she asked, not receiving an answer from the woman who she saw as her friend. The Gopher Snake moved her gray irises towards the straw covered floor of her cage and hid her muzzle under her body. When the car suddenly stopped, her head jerked up "Where are we?"

Her body felt hot and smelled sand, nothing like her cage's sand though. It somehow made her relate it to death…

Alice placed the box on the hot sands of the Mojave Desert, opening the small gate so Grace could slid it out 'Come on Grace…don't be shy." She whispered, tapping the box a little so maybe the snake could move. Grace eyed the horizon in horror 'W-Where am I?" she squeaked, feeling the box being tilted and feeling her body sliding out of it. Alice gave Grace a sad smile, before turning on her heels and walking towards the truck.

The Gopher Snake widened her eyes and smiled "Alice! You'll be back later right Alice?" she asked, watching as the truck took off at high speed, disappearing in the line of the horizon. Grace dropped her ridges "Alice? "she whispered, feeling the hot wind touch her scales.

What was happening?

The Gopher looked around in horror, her light irises started to dry up because of the extreme sun "O-Okay...what is this place?" she asked none in particular, slithering towards a cactus and blinking "What is this thing? Can I ea- OW!" she sucked the tip of her tongue while glaring at the desert plant "I don't think I can." she mumbled, moving her head towards a figure in the distance "Oh! Maybe that person will help me!"

"Excuse me! Helloo?" she slithered quickly towards the said person "Could you h-" she froze, feeling the cold tip of a shotgun touching her muzzle. The Desert Cottontail Rabbit narrowed her eyes "Back off, snake." she snarled, giving few steps towards the young snake "Ya ain't havin' me as an appetizer, I promise you that."

"What?" Grace asked, whimpering as the gun was pressed harder against her muzzle "Don't ya play dumb wit' me. I know ya kind. Ya are a Gopher Snake, ya kill people like me." the rabbit growled, making the said snake laugh "WHAT? No! I'd never kill anyone!' she said with a smile, making the female rabbit blink but don't lower her gun "What do ya mean by that?"

"Welp, I don't see a reason for killing you. I mean, I just kinda wanted to know where am I. "Grace said with a smile, sighing relieved as the shotgun was removed from her muzzle "Gee, thanks, that was un-"

"Ya don't know where ya are?"

The surprise in the rabbit's voice made the snake blink "Um...no? Should I?" she asked confusedly, giving the rabbit a nervous smile "I just got here, I mean Alice dropped me here a few minutes ago." she said, her voice taking a sad turn. The Cottontail lowered her shotgun to the floor "Ya are one of those snakes." she said quietly, walking around Grace with narrowed eyes "W-What snakes?" the Gopher asked, feeling a bit uneasy as the rabbit poked her scales "Hey!"

"One of those are taken from here, to be back years later. I've met a lot of those." the rabbit said, placing her shotgun on her cart's back. Grace smiled "Oh really? Where can I find them?" she asked excitedly, maybe she could have friends! The female mammal chuckled 'Prob'ly in some hawk's belly." she smirked, hopping on her cart and grabbing her boar's leash. The young snake widened her eyes in horror "T-They are dead?" she asked quietly, gulping loudly as the rabbit nodded "What did ya expected? They never lived here ta know how ta survive."

"Please miss, I don't want to die!" Grace shouted, appearing in front of the rabbit and giving her a sad look "I-If this is where I was born, c-could you teach me how to survive?" she asked shyly, looking at the ground. The rabbit widened her pale green eyes "What? Ya want me ta teach ya?" she asked, when the snake nodded, she gave out a long sigh. It wasn't this poor thing's fault that she didn't knew how to survive, but she was a dangerous snake who killed most members of her family...still...the motherly side of her gave a small twang towards the Gopher.

"Oh, fine."

Grace widened her eyes and smiled "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh thank you so much miss rabbit-"

"Emily."

Grace blinked "What?" she asked, making the female rabbit smile softly 'Name's Emily." the voice of the rabbit turned soft as she gave the snake a look 'And yours? "she asked, arching one brown eyebrow. The Gopher Snake smiled "My name is Grace."


	2. Chapter 2

Grace slithered along Emily's cart while looking at the rabbit "Thank you again, Miss Emily." she said politely, blushing a bit as the rabbit gave her a side smile "No prob, kiddo. Ya need some assistance in here. Even though you can take care of yaself." Emily said, brushing a strand of her bangs away from her eyes "Ya have really big fangs ya know?"

"I do know…but my venom is very weak Miss Emily. I remember Alice always saying that." She commented, lowering her head "I can't believe she left me here." The whisper made the rabbit's ears rise up "Is Alice a human?" she asked, her eyes remaining on the road "Yeah…she was my best friend."

"Humans aren't friends, kiddo. Remember that."

Grace smiled sadly "My old friends told me that…I wonder if they'll miss me." She mumbled, suddenly stopping in front of an old barrel "Woow…is this where you live?" the snake asked in amazement "It's huge!" Emily smiled before hopping off her cart "Gotta thank ma and pa- may God have their souls- for it tho. Come on in…by the back window, it's bigger." Emily said, walking up the steps of her peeked inside the barrel, smiling at the many pictures on the walls"Are those your siblings?" Grace asked curiously from her place in the window-she didn't wanted to mess up Ms. Emily's house. The rabbit smiled and nodded, while removing her purple shawl, letting it on her couch "All the fifteen of them"

Grace widened her eyes "Woow! That's a lot of siblings Miss Emily!" she said in amazement. Everything was so new to Grace and she was loving every minute of it. Emily smiled, then opened the curtains "Thank you Grace,ya don't have any siblings?" she asked, wiping her hands on the her dress as the snake shook her head 'No…at least not that I know of." She answered with a small smile. There were three hard knocks on the front door, making both females raise their heads "Grace,could ya hide yaself for a while?"

"Um…okay." The Gopher hid herself behind the barrel and listened as Emily opened the door "Bill…may I help ya?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes towards the Gila. The lizard gave a lazy chuckle "Well Ms. Emily, do ya remember last week when we came to get your money and you said no? Guess you have to give it to us now…"

Emily frowned "Hell no! Does the sheriff even know what ya are doin'?" she shrieked, poking a finger on Bad Bill's chest "Cause if he doesn't I'll make sure he'll turn ya life in a livin' HELL!" she screamed. Suddenly, they heard a clean of a throat "Maybe she's right Bill, I mean…w-we can always get money from someone else." The voice belonged to Kinski, the hunchbacked rabbit.

It wasn't new for his partners that he had a thing for the young female rabbit in front of them "What?" Bill hissed, grabbing him by the collar "Hell no you bloody rabbit! We'll get the money now!" he said, pushing Kinski out of his way "As if you even had a chance with her, you freak!"

Bill's words were too harsh for Emily, the rabbit had enough "Just leave ma property an' forget I even exist!" she warned, pulling out her shotgun and aiming at them 'Or else I'll make ya ma new leather chair." She snarled, making the Gila gulp and mumble something to his men who backed away slowly, leaving Kinski on the floor.

Emily sighed, helping the much taller rabbit up "Are ya okay?" she asked, making the male rabbit smile shyly "Y-yeah, I'm good." He mumbled, looking at the side while scratching his neck "Sorry fer that Ms. Emily…I swear I'll never let them come here again." He said softly, making the female smile "No need ta, Kinski. I can handle them maself." She said, patting his arm while sighing "Ya should be away from them tho…they aren't good influence." The female rabbit warned, then smiled warmly "Ya are a nice guy Kinski, ya are only walking with the wrong crowd. Take care."She gently kissed his cheek, Kinski eyes were wide as saucers as he felt his body tremble "O-Okay, I will." He said dreamily, touching the spot she kissed and walking back to Mud.

Grace giggled "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked, watching as the rabbit went stiff and let out a clean of her throat "What? No!" Emily chuckled, moving her eyes nervously "He's just a nice guy who's been with the wrong people...and urm. N-Never mind!" she said, throwing her hands up and walking inside her house once more, watching as Grace placed her head on the window again "I think he likes you."

Emily rolled her eyes "Why would he ever like me anyway?" she asked. Grace eyed the rabbit carefully, she had short brown hair that stopped above her shoulders, almond shaped eyes with light green irises, pinkish lips apparently and a very fluffy fur "Well,cause you're pretty!" Grace chirped, giggling once more as Emily gave her a mocking glare "Yeah right."

Emily looked up and then said "The last room was never used, you can sleep there. There is a back door which is big enough for you to slither inside." Grace was taken aback by such generosity, especially coming from someone she met nearly minutes ago "A-are you serious?" she asked in disbelief, a shy smile forming on her face.

"I'd never do that ta any other snake but…" Emily smiled softly "Ya are young and honestly, I don't think ya'd hurt even a little fly." She smirked, crossing her arms "Now go kiddo, I'll make ya somethin' ta eat when ya wake up."

With a huge smile, Grace slithered towards said room 'It's not big as my old cage but…" she widened her eyes at a piece of fabric on the floor-which was surely big enough to cover her whole body- and slowly slithered inside. With a giggle, her muzzle was now peeking out of the heavy blanket as she blinked cutely "This is so cool!" she chirped, looking towards the small city from the window.

Grace then frowned, now it had occurred that Victor and Elizabeth were right; humans were not like them…Alice wouldn't come back and she'd stay here probably forever. She remembered when Elizabeth and Victor talked about where they came from; it fascinated her when she was younger; considering she never knew where she was born or where her family was.

Her eyes snapped open.

Her family…

What if, what if she finds them here? Did she had brothers like Miss Emily?...was her family still alive? If yes, would they recognize her? With a long sigh, the young Gopher Snake felt her head throb with so many questions "I think I should rest…" she yawned, curling her body under the blanket slowly.

Emily walked towards the bedroom's door and smiled softly, only seeing the tip of Grace's tail from under the blanket "Poor thing." She whispered, her boots digging onto the sand as she closed the large door from the outside "Better get her some food…" she paused "But where will I find a dead mammal?"


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter has a lot of Kinski(the hunchbacked jackrabbit from Bill's gang) and Emily. I'm a sucker for those too. :3

* * *

Emily's boots dug into the humid sand as her legs took her to Mud, the town was now much more developed than when Tortoise John was in command-even though the old tortoise wanted to transform the old western village in a 'progress metropolis' it was nothing like what was happening now. The town had new buildings made of bottles, boxes and other things humans left on the desert.

The sheriff was doing a good job after all.

The rabbit smiled kindly as few gentlemen walked past her tipping their hats, with a light frown she sped up her pace towards the market. She was the last of her sisters who didn't have married yet, it's been her mother's wish to see her youngest daughter get married with a good man and have tons of children, unfortunately Agatha-Emily's mother- passed away a few weeks after her husband Abraham did.

As much as she was flattered with all the attention from the males, she felt she wasn't as pretty as her older sisters-their hair, their eyes, their bodies, everything in them was better than hers. Emily narrowed her eyes and with a violent shake of her head, she rushed inside the small store "Mornin' miss Emily." Avril said, tipping his hat "What is it ya need?" the old fox smiled warmly, his hands digging on his pants pockets.

"Morning Avril,say… do you have any um…meat?" she asked a bit uncomfortably, gulping when the fox eyed her suspiciously "Well, I think I got some goat meat in the back but…why would ya need meat Miss Emily?" he asked since he knew Emily only ate cereals and vegetables from his store.

"Um…I got a friend coming and she eats meat." She said nervously, giving him a short smile as the fox squinted his eyes a small bit. Emily let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding when the old fox disappeared behind a door without asking much questions. She tapped her short nails on the wooden counter impatiently "It'll do for her today, tomorrow I think I'll have to teach her how to hunt." The Desert Cottontail's ears perked up as the door opened once more, revealing Avril holding a big chunk of meat.

"Okay, how much do ya need Miss Emily?"

"Everything."

The fox blinked "What?" he widened his eyes as Emily placed a bag of coins in front of him "I need the whole piece, Avril. Thank you." She smiled softly, hoping he wouldn't ask more questions. Avril gave her a confused smile, before wrapping the meat in some pieces of paper "Ya sure ya can hold it?" he asked, watching as the much smaller rabbit groaned while trying to grab it and mantain it on her paws "Y-Yeah, I can do it. Don't worry." She let out a huff, trying to keep her balance with the enormous chunk of goat meat.

With a quiet goodbye, she left the store. She groaned "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she growled, trying to walk faster but that only made her short legs ache even more "Ugh,see Emily? Use this day to remember to never feel motherly towards a friggin' snake!" the rabbit snarled, taking a long deep breath before walking again. Emily was unaware of a pair of bloodshot eyes following her every step.

"Miss Emily-"

"Oh God, WHAT?" She snarled, widening her eyes at the sight of Kinski looking down at her with a shocked face "O-Oh…sorry Kinski…" she blushed, looking at the side and smiling embarrassedly "I didn't knew it was ya." The rabbit mumbled, before looking up at him "What is it?"

The hunchbacked jackrabbit smiled softly "I saw ya havin' lotso trouble with this big piece o' meat… I thought I could help ya carry it." He said gently, looking at the ground. For some, Kinski was just another one of Bad Bill's partners, he was a psycho with absolute no heart who loved to kill. They were right.

Then he saw Emily.

She was a cute little thing that called his attention in the middle of a fight.

He remembers that he left the bar for a quick drink while his partners had some fun with the poor bird's face- and by fun I mean punching the hell out of him- while he uncorked a bottle. The bottle of whiskey didn't even touched his lips as he saw the pretty Cottontail Rabbit walking on the street, books clutched on her chest and her face straight and firm. The jackrabbit had dropped the bottle at that point, making it shatter on the floor as he followed the female with his eyes. He had wanted to make some cat calls for her, or throw at her some dirty words but he went mute!

Kinski wasn't very popular with the ladies, except the ones he paid to sleep with. But with Emily, that feisty little thing was playing with his poor heart and she didn't even knew it, he didn't wanted it to be one night thing only. Oh no, she was a lady and a lady needs to be treated with politeness.

"Oh Kinski…ya don't have to…"

"But I want to, Miss Emily…ya could hurt yourself holding something so heavy." He mumbled, giving her a small smile as they locked gazes. The small female rabbit couldn't help but smile back, handing him the big chunk as they walked back to her house "Thank ya." She said kindly, touching his arm with her much smaller paw, his eyes landed on her hand and the jackrabbit smiled shyly "No prob' Miss Emily." He said politely, biting his lower lip as he watched the female rabbit fix her short brown hair daintily.

He knew mating season would be coming soon and he wanted Emily, no other female, just Emily. He smiled dreamily as she waved at her students with that dazzling smile that made the poor hunchbacked jackrabbit's knees tremble like a little boy. However, he glared at every male that dared to look towards the pretty teacher in a way he did not like. Kinski moved closer to Emily, showing the other males that HE was interested in her and none was dared to touch what was soon to be his.

As they approached her house, Kinski cleaned his throat quietly.

"Miss Emily, can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Of course."

"Why did ya bought meat?"

Emily's face went pale and her eyes widened "O-Oh well…um…I got a friend over...and she eats meat." She said quietly, playing with the frills of her blouse. The jackrabbit blinked twice "Meat?" he asked quietly, looking towards the little female "She's a carnivore Miss Emily? Ya sure ya can be alone with her?"

As much Emily wanted to say yes because Grace was so young and naïve that she wasn't even aware she could kill her with one quick move, she was a snake. A Gopher Snake…

Snakes that are known of eating rabbits.

"Y-Yeah I'm sure."

Kinski blinked and with a clean of his throat, he said "If ya want Miss Emily…I can take care of ya…" he mumbled, looking at his side. Emily smiled softly, blushing lightly below her fur "I appreciate it Kinski, but I can take care of maself. I'm a grown up girl after all." She winked, making the jackrabbit shudder visibly with a deep red blush.

She just winked at him!

"Well, here we are." she said quietly, turning towards the taller jackrabbit "Thank ya Kinski. Ya are surprising me as the weeks pass." her voice had a sweet kind of amusement that made his stomach flutter sweetly "A-Am I?"

With a nod, she unlocked the front door and let him inside "Yes ya aren't gettin' yaself into trouble, neither hangin' with Bill's gang..." she unpacked the meat before holding up a small knife, cleaning it with the light blue skirt she was wearing "And I'm happy ya be doin' so." she said sweetly, the smile on her face giving her cheeks dimples, something he hadn't noticed before.

The Jackrabbit smiled gently, scratching the back of his head before licking his lips "Miss Emily...I..." he felt something stop on his throat, preventing him from talking. He kept blabbering something Emily couldn't understand and let out a sad groan, dropping his head "Sorry...I should get goin'..." he said, slowly turning to the door only to stop in a halt as she called his name.

"Thank ya again." she said as she walked closer, standing on her tip toes as she pressed her lips on his rugged cheek. He smiled like an idiot, this was the second kiss she gave him that day "Ya are welcome." he said dreamily, backing away from her with the same stupid smile as his back slammed into the door; snapping him back into reality "Um...I-I should go!" with that, he quickly left the young rabbit's house.

Emily chuckled, leaning against the doorframe as her eyes followed the Jackrabbit as he walked back to Mud. With a shake of her head, she went back to the piece of goat meat.

Grace rolled over on the blanket, her nostrils flaring as she smelled something delicious "Hmmm..." she flicked her black tongue out, tasting the air "What is smelling so good? "she asked sleepily, raising her head as she saw Emily push a large plate with some meat stew "There." she said a bit out of breath, wiping her forehead "I thought ya'd be hungry, so I made ya some stew."

The Gopher blinked twice "What's a stew?" she asked innocently.

Emily sighed, patting the snake on the scales "It has meat in it, so don't ask more questions and eat okay?" she said, flopping onto the floor as her back was leaning against Grace's coils. The young snake looked at the strange liquid below her and dipped her tongue in it, tasting a bit was enough to make Grace's pupils widen as if she had just tasted a piece of heaven

"This is marvelous!"

"Thank ya Grace."

"Absolutely fantastic!"

"Thanks."

"Incredi-"

"Eat, kiddo." Emily ordered, while closing her eyes-only peeking to see Grace's snout disappearing on the plate- while letting out a sigh "Tomorrow I'll train ya." she said, stretching her arms up as she yawned "So be prepared." the rabbit let out a quiet chuckle when the snake's only answer was a quiet 'hmhm'.Then she opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling; sooner or later the people of Mud would know about Grace's presence and-most likely- would try to get rid of her.

If she called the sheriff and tried to make him see Grace was harmless, maybe the poor thing could survive a few more days, right?

Right.

She'd tell him that in the morning.

* * *

Oh God, where's Jake?

Do not worry, he'll appear soon ;3


	4. Chapter 4

Emily had woken up before sunrise- something her parents taught her when she was just a little girl- , her pale green eyes darted to the windows as the curtains were opened. A song went past her lips as she continued her morning routine, opening the windows, sweeping the house, taking a bath and finally getting ready to go to Mud's school.

On her way out, Emily peeked over Grace's room and smiled warmly; the young snake was cuddled beneath the blue blanket with her eyes closed and body moving with her breathing.

The rabbit knew Grace wouldn't leave while she was out on work, she told her not to.

The school was made of an old wooden box with Italian words on the sides- apparently it was a wine box that the humans threw on the desert- with small windows on the sides and a bell on top. When she saw everything was in place, Emily placed her things on the table smiling softly at the small card her students left her on the day before.

'Ms. Emily, you're beautiful.'

'Ms. Emily, I love you!'

'Ms. Emily, even though your parents have died, you didn't want to revenge them and don't killed us yet, which is really cool.'

Emily widened her eyes a bit 'Oh Priscilla.' She thought, shaking her head and tucking the small cards on her purse. She started to write the lesson of the day and then started to wander on her thoughts. She had to remember to talk to the Sheriff after school; about Grace…she couldn't help but feel something cold on her stomach just by thinking of it.

"Mornin' Miss Emily!" a couple voices chided

The rabbit turned around with a light smile "Mornin' children, take your seats."

Grace blinked her eyes open, rubbing the tip of her tail on them to get the sleep off before letting out a long yawn. She uncurled herself from under the warm blanket to peek out the window, smiling at the rays of sunshine that touched her face "Such a beautiful day!" she said amazedly. Back at the serpentarium Grace rarely saw the sun; the rare times were when Alice took him to the main vet when she was sick. In her cage she had this 'fake sun' which could be controlled by the same human that left her here, leaving it in a decent temperature apparently.

She remember that Elizabeth always complained about hers 'fake sun', saying that there was nothing better that after a nice night of sleep, waking up and feeling the real sun touching the rest of your body as you slithered on the warm rocks; not a stupid glass lamp placed on a cage.

Grace paused, feeling the urge to go outside and feel the said star on her scales, but Miss Emily told her not to…especially now.

"But…I'll be pretty fast, she won't even notice!"

The Gopher slid out of her room and closed her eyes as the rays of sunshine showered over her, feeling her own scales moving in bliss with such a nice temperature. She was a desert snake after all, since her body didn't complain about the sun; her eyes however stung a bit when she opened them. With a quiet hiss, the tip of her tail rubbed against her eyes and remained in there for a few seconds till she was sure she could remove it without hurting her gray orbs again.

Everything around her was new and she felt something stirring deep inside her: she wanted to explore. She wanted to know her surroundings and feel everything around her.

And she did.

Even though her mind screamed that Emily would probably have a heart attack if she notices she wasn't there, Grace's heart wanted to meet her real home. She hadn't noticed how far she went until she couldn't see Miss Emily's house anymore.

The barrel was quite hard to miss.

But at the moment she didn't cared, she kept going until she stopped in front of a small cricket "Hi!" she chirped, blinking when the cricket jumped away from her. The snaked giggled, following the insect until the small thing seemed to freeze "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, blinking at a large shadow behind her appearing on the sand.

The Gopher's body froze and her eyes went wide when a deep voice said from behind her

"Who are ya?"

Grace fought back a scared whimper before gulping loudly, clenching her eyes shut "I-I..I…"

"Don't stutter woman!" the voice snarled, making the young snake wince in fear. Her conscience was now screaming that's what she got for leaving Emily's house without her knowledge, now she'd probably die in the middle of the desert and Emily wouldn't even find out.

With a deep breath, she blurted out "My name is Grace." She said quickly, not opening her eyes until she felt a presence in front of her. The gray orbs opened to see a quite large rattlesnake in front of her, his red eyes shooting holes on her soul as she remained silent. Grace's face paled visibly as the rattlesnake moved his tongue close to her face "What is it ya want in ma territory?"

"N-Nothing! I-I was just following the cricket!"

The rattlesnake arched one eye ridge and moved around the gopher "Bullshit." He snarled, noticing the patterns on her back "Don't ya lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" she interrupted, receiving a menacing glare from the male snake "I-I mean…I-I am not lying…I don't have a reason to." she mumbled, looking at the sand with scared eyes and a trembling body.

The rattlesnake paused his movements when he saw a small blue tag on one of her scales "Ah…so ya are one of those." He chuckled, meeting her confused and scared gaze "Hm…I heard that ya kind doesn't live for too long." He mentioned, watching as the female snake looked up at him in pure horror "Ya know… ya die. Hawks kill ya, coyotes kill ya… even other snakes can kill ya…"

Grace whimpered quietly, feeling small tears on the corners of her eyes "Are you going to kill me then?" she asked, surprised by his sudden action.

He laughe.

Quite loud.

Maybe way too loud for her liking.

"Kill ya?" he asked, still laughing "What would it be the fun in that?" he teased, poking the end of his tail – she noticed it was a metal thing, but couldn't figure out what it was- on her snout "'Sides, look at ya. Ya can't even defend yaself." He chuckled "Ya'll die here sooner or later. And I'll watch it, believe me."

Grace frowned "I-I'll figure out how to defend myself eventually." She said, trying to sound bolder than she actually was "I-I mean…It can't be that hard." The frown on her face deepened when the rattlesnake chuckled once more. The male shook his head "Oh kid, ya are in trouble. Ya species do not have much to train, ya only see somethin' and kill it. Simple like that."

"My poison is weak tho…"

The rattlesnake paused "Wha? Ya species don't have poison or anythin' like that." He said "Wha are the people be tellin' ya anyway?" he snarled, moving closer to her with his eyes narrowed. Grace gulped "Alice always said my poison was weak… she never said I didn't have any…"

"Well,I guess that makes her a liar don't it?" the rattlesnake smirked, then looked down at her "Ya kind act like my own kind. But ya don't have a rattle-"

"Is that thing you have on yours?"

"…no,that's not a rattle."

"What is it then?"

"A gun." He said simply, groaning as the Gopher blinked confusedly "A gun, something that shoots bullets! Ya never saw one?" he asked a bit angrily, making the young snake shake her head quietly "I never left the serpentarium…well…except for now." She chuckled embarrassedly. Then something clicked on her mind "Hey! You can show me how to act like my kind- since you know sooo much!" she said excitedly.

There was a pause.

"Hell no." the rattlesnake turned around and started to slither away "I don't help 'lost snakes'." He said, keeping his eyes forward as the Gopher slithered to his side with wide childish eyes "Lost snakes? Oh… you mean that because of where I came from."

The rattlesnake looked towards her but remained silent, making Grace say something instead "Aww come on!Please!I never asked anyone something so important!" she said, appearing in front of him with a cute smile on her face. The rattlesnake sighed, arching one eye ridge and grumbling under his breath "… don't you tell anyone about it!" he snarled, watching as the young snake cheered like a small child "Okay!Okay!I won't!" she chirped "When can we start?"

"Tomorrow."

"Where can I meet you?"

The rattlesnake sighed once more "I'll find ya eventually, just wander into the desert." he said, widening his eyes as the Gopher 'hugged' him with her body, pressing her head on his chest. Grace smiled sweetly, then looked up at him "Okay!I'll meet you here then...oh!I even forgot to ask,what's your name?"

"Jake."

She smiled 'Jake...cool name!Well,I gotta go!Nice meeting you and I can't wait for tomorrow!" with that she slithered away. Jake felt a headache coming and groaned deeply, why on Hell had he accepted to help that damn girl? He was an outlaw with a reputation to keep, he couldn't just help people like that.

But now was too late to step back from it.

* * *

It's Jake everyone!

:D


	5. Chapter 5

Emily nodded at Wounded Bird as she entered the sheriff's office "Mornin' Bird, is the Sheriff 'round?" she asked while folding her shawl on her hands. The crow gave a nod, but held Emily's shoulder before she entered "Talking with Miss Beans."

The rabbit made an 'oh' with her mouth and winced as she heard a loud crash followed by a curse, it was one of those days. Beans exploded out of Rango's office with her fists by her side "AND DON'T YA COME BACK HOME LATER!" she screamed, slamming the front door open; leaving the three animals inside in an awkward silence. Rango sighed, a bit in relief now that Beans was gone; rubbing his forehead "I knew she'd act like that…"

"Sheriff Rango? May I speak with you? Or… should I come back later?" Emily asked politely, making the lizard look up and offer her a nervous smile "Oh, no no, please come in." he walked back into his office, trying to clean the shatters of the crystal vase on the floor "Take a seat Miss Emily." He said, throwing the shards on a trashcan.

The rabbit smiled softly "I know you and Beans are havin' a hard time now that Beans is pregnant, sheriff… but I've known her for a very long time and I know she'll forgive you later on." She said, trying to calm the poor lizard down. Rango smiled nervously, taking a seat on his desk and cleaning his throat "Well Miss Emily…what is it you need? More books? New desks? A new chalk board perhaps?"

"Actually, my subject of talkin' to ya has nothin' to do with the school." She said quietly, tapping her thumbs as Rango blinked "Um…ya see Sheriff I have a guest in ma house, well, not really a guest…I kinda… found her in the desert and she's in my house now." She licked her lips "She's young, she knows nothing about here and…um…she's kinda…big."

Rango gulped again "Big? W-What kind of guest are we talking about, Miss Emily?" he asked while pulling his collar and cleaning his throat as the rabbit opened her mouth to answer.

There was a high pitched scream coming from the sheriff's office.

"Please, Sheriff! Try to calm down!" Emily said, following Rango as he paced around with his hands on his mouth, biting his nails "She's harmless! She can't even kill!" she said, trying to be reasonable for once.

"B-But she's a snake!" Rango said, his hands on his hat as he continued "What if she suddenly noticed how delicious we are and start to want to eat us?" he yelped, pacing around again. Emily sighed, and then bit her lower lip "If you meet Grace you'll know she's just scared and nervous to be in a new place!"

Rango stopped his pacing before staring at Emily, looking at the side and taking a gulp "A-Alright then...l-let's meet her." He said nervously "I'll also take my deputy with me to this meeting." He said, staying behind Wounded Bird as they walked out. Emily sighed, walking in front of them with her hands by her sides as the three of them walked to her house.

Bad Bill chuckled, nudging Stump with his elbow "Oy, look who's with the sheriff." he leered, making the other rabbit cackle quietly "It's Kinski's girl!" Stump said, chugging his bottle of whiskey as they kept looking at Emily. Bad Bill smiled "She's a cute thing tho, isn't she?" he smirked, rubbing his chin in thought "I say we should have some fun with her…" he chuckled, making the short rabbit by his side widen his eyes "What about Kinski?" the Gila monster snatched the bottle of whiskey from the rabbit's hands and took a long swig "What about him? He wants her doesn't he? Let's take him with us…it'll be…our little gift for him." He laughed quietly, watching as Emily disappeared on the horizon.

While walking to the back of her house, Emily took a long and deep breath before opening the large door and peeping inside "Grace?" she asked, noticing the Gopher Snake stare at her with wide eyes and a bright smile "Could ya come outside? There's someone I want ya to meet."

Grace slowly slithered outside, her gray eyes meeting the two creatures who watched her in pure fear "Hello!' she chirped, waving the tip of her tail to them 'I'm Grace!"

The sheriff and his deputy remained silent, until the lizard let out a high scream

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! I'LL BE A FATHER SOON AND I DON'T WANT MY CHILDREN TO ASK MY WIFE WHY I WASN'T WITH THEM!" Rango screamed, hiding behind Wounded Bird and whimpering a bit. Grace blinked with a frown on her face "W-What? I'd never hurt you!" she said, then looked at Emily who offered her a small smile "Um...sheriff, sir?" Grace asked, moving her head to Rango and Wounded Bird's level "You can trust me...I'd never, ever, hurt the citizens of Mud. I promise. If I ever get to hunt something-" she heard the sheriff gulp at that "I promise it'll be far from here. Please believe me sir." she said quietly.

Rango peeked from behind Wounded Bird's shoulder and his deputy gave him a look "She says the truth." the crow said simply, eyeing the lizard and then moving his eyes back to Grace. Rango cleaned his throat "Well, if you say so deputy." he said softly, walking to Grace- still shaking a bit- and offering her his hand "Welcome to Mud, Miss Grace." he smiled, shaking the tip of Grace's tail.

At the end of the day, Rango introduced Grace to the other citizens...of course it wasn't like he expected them to be happy and full of joy, but when some pointed their guns to the young snake he had to step in front of her. After a long speech, he let Grace speak her mind and her story made some of them shed a tear. She apologized for any inconvenience and said she wouldn't hurt them, because she wasn't like that and that he wanted to have a normal life in the desert, saying that Mud could be the place.

Her words were so kind that the citizens completed ignored the situation from before, planning on doing a welcoming party for Grace that night.

Emily combed her hair while she was wearing her towel, her fur damp and smelling like the brand new soap she bought from Avril's store "Miss Emily?" she heard Grace ask, noticing the snake's head on the window's frame. Her head had a flower crown made of Desert Larkspurs,Davy Gilias and Cream Cups "How do I look?" she asked quietly, sounding like a young girl on her first day at a new school "Do I look good?"

Emily smiled, walking towards the snake and patting her snout "You look beautiful Grace." she said gently, then sighed "I dunno about me tho, I don't know if I'll look pretty with this dress." she commented, pulling a light pink and blue sleeveless dress from her wardrobe "I don' remember last time I used this."

"Miss Emily, it's beautiful!" Grace said with a smile "I'm sure you have all the eyes on you!" she giggled when the rabbit gave her a small glare "Oh yeah…you only want _Kinski's_ eyes on you." she teased, dodging a pillow by ducking away from the window. Emily couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kinski watching her; he was a nice guy now right? So she might give him a chance.

Grace giggled while looking at the moon with a smile. Then she saw something with the corner of her eye "Miss Emily! I'll be right back!' she shouted, slithering towards a rock and meeting a pair of red eyes "Oh hello Jake!" she chirped "Have you come to the party?"

Jake narrowed his eyes "Hell no. I was just passin' by." he said, looking at the flowers on her head "What in Hell's name is that?" he asked, watching as the snake touched it with the tip of her tail "You liked it? The girls in town made it for me."

The rattlesnake widened his eyes "Ya shouldn't be friends with them, ya should be eatin' them!" he hissed- literally- towards the young Gopher snake making her move back. Her eyes narrowed "What? No! I'd never hurt any of them!" she noticed the rattlesnake mumbled something on his breath "Look, they were the only ones who accepted me here, I don't see a reason for killing them."

"Then my _training_ tomorrow will be pointless." Jake teased, glaring at Grace "If ya don't kill what's close to ya, what will ya do? There's food walkin' round ya and ya wants to keep them alive?" he chuckled, shaking his head "Kid, ya are very strange."

"Well so are you! "she snapped back, narrowing her eyes "I don't kill who cares about me, I'm sorry _Jake_." she dragged his name like a child would do to bother a friend "And so what? I'm sure I can do it myself tomorrow. And find more food than you!"

The rattlesnake chuckled then moved his head closer to hers, almost touching snouts _"Prove it."_ he said, his breath touching her lips. Grace blushed a light pink, moving away from him "You'll see, tomorrow I'll shove a...a...a freaking bear in your face!"

"There are no bears in the desert."

"A-Alright then...a-a...UGH!I HATE YOU!"

The snake laughed quietly, poking her cheek with his gun "See you tomorrow kid. I hope you find a _bear_ to shove it in my face." he teased, slithering away from her, leaving the snake glaring at him. Grace huffed like a small child and moved back to Emily's house "Is there something wrong Grace?" Emily asked while putting her earrings and walking to the window "Who were ya talkin' to?"

Grace pouted "None... just... a stupid animal." then her mood took a sudden turn and chirped "Are you done? Let's go!"

* * *

Jake didn't wanted to say, but he found Grace really _pretty_ with those flowers :3

tee hee


	6. Chapter 6

At the party, everyone greeted Grace and all the kids surrounded her, saying how pretty she looked "Aw, ya made me lose my faithful students." Emily teased, laughing when the kids suddenly surrounded her, hugging her legs and waist. There was a clean of a throat and both looked up to meet Rango, who was holding Beans hand "Miss Grace, let me introduce you my wife, Beans." Rango gave his wife a gentle push forward.

Beans widened her eyes at the size of the snake before her and gulped 'N-nice meetin' ya." she said quietly. Grace lowered her head and nodded a bit 'Nice meeting you too, Miss Beans. You're very pretty!" she said gently and noticed the bump on Beans stomach "Oh! You're going to have babies?" she asked, her eyes shining with curiosity. Beans let out a smile and patted the snake on the snout "Y-Yeah I am...I'm sure Rango told ya tho."

"That was the first thing he said when he thought I was going to kill him actually." Grace said with a smile.

Beans nodded mutely and with a clean of her throat she offered the snake a smile "Are ya hungry? We made plenty of food to ya." she said, placing a hand on the Gopher Snake's back. Emily watched with a small smile and then looked around, trying to find a known hunchbacked jackrabbit anywhere "I guess he won't come." she said disappointedly, rubbing her arm and walking towards the drink table.

Kinski wasn't coming, he never got into the town's festivals or anything, he normally watched from his window. He watched the mothers with the children, the happy couples, the snake Miss Emily had left on her house, Emily's bare back, the food-  
The jackrabbit did a double take and kept his eyes on Emily. His paws touching the window as his breath made the glass all fogged up, a groan build up on his throat.

There she was.

He could see so much of her tiny body.

His body trembled as his eyes suddenly became hazed.

With a frown, he saw the other males also looking at her and noticed he had to do something. Kinski walked to his wardrobe, looking at the types of shirts he had and letting a groan; all of them were somewhat ruined- bullet holes, moths eating the sleeves and many more- and then he remembered he had a white shirt, hidden on his old trunk.

The shirt belonged to his father- who was larger than him- making it easier to put it on without itching his hunchback. He gave a quick glance towards the window, seeing Emily leaning on a wall with a somber look on her face "Please Miss Emily, don't move." He whispered. Kinski entered his rarely used bathroom and removed his clothes as the water filled the old tub, sitting on it and scrubbing his fur so hard it started to hurt.

The jackrabbit combed his hair in a way he looked at least less menacing and gave a side smile at his reflection. Buttoning his shirt up and then zipping up his pants in a quick movement of wrist, Kinski took a long and deep breath, before finally walking out of his house and entering the party.

Emily tapped her nails against her cup, looking down at her shoes with a light frown "I knew this was a bad idea." She whispered, running her hands on her hair before sending Grace a look "It's her party after all, I shouldn't be in here." With that, she spun on her heel and started to go home…that is if she hadn't bumped in someone's chest before.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, starting to look up "I didn't saw where…I…Kinski?" she asked quietly, locking gazes with the jackrabbit. Her eyes widened at the sight before her…he looked so… clean! And he smelled so good! And his hair was combed back in a way Emily wanted to mess it up again.

"Hi, Miss Emily."

Emily gasped quietly W-Wow…you look so…wow." She blushed, giving an embarrassed laugh "I mean, I've never seen you like this!" she said, making the male in front of her blush below his fur. Kinski was flattered by her words but couldn't help but look at the dress she was wearing and how…revealing it was, he could see a bit of her cleavage and her delicate collar bones.

It made his body tremble.

The Cottontail smiled shyly, rubbing her arm as she whispered "So uh…" she bit her lower lip "What brings you here? I mean… I never saw you in any of the town's festivals or anything like that." She mumbled, hoping she wasn't being too nosy with him. Kinski scratched his clean cheek "Um…I…well…" he gulped, moving his eyes everywhere but at Emily "I wanted to see ya."

The Cottontail Rabbit widened her eyes and blushed a bright red, her small hands clenched together by her chest "M-me?" she asked, feeling her heart thump a little faster as Kinski nodded. She offered him the same dazzling smile that made his knees weak and his heart beat against the ribcage "Yeah…ya…" he whispered, widening his eyes as her small paw grabbed his much larger one "Come on." She said, tugging him into the party "Let's dance!"

Grace looked towards Emily and giggled as she and Kinski started to try to dance. Since Kinski was much larger than Emily, he sometimes apologized when he stepped on her shoes, but Emily laughed it off. The two were having so much fun; Kinski completely forgot that his 'friends' had been watching him since he started dancing with the pretty teacher.

The snake has a mischievous glint on her eyes as she silently slithered behind the dancing rabbits, giving Emily a light push in the back with her snout. Making the rabbit stumble forward and fall against Kinski's chest "O-Oh…sorry." She said embarrassedly, looking away as the jackrabbit smiled shyly, meeting the floor. Grace giggled as Emily sent her a deathly glare.

Grace smiled innocently,before disappearing in the crowd.

Kinski insisted in taking Emily back to her house "I had lots of fun tonight." she said sweetly. Grace stayed at the party, she was giving all the children a ride on her back and none was complaining about it.

The jackrabbit smiled gently, his hands fiddling as he gave Emily a side smile "Me too, Miss Emily." he said politely, hearing a soft chuckle come out of her throat as she unlocked her front door. The Cottontail turned around then, biting her lower lip as she stood on her tip toes "Thank you." she whispered, giving him a quick peck on the lips,before rushing inside. Kinski remained on her porch, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open

Did she just kissed him?

His fingers touched his lips and he smiled dreamily, almost falling down the steps as he made his way back to Mud. In the distance, a pair of yellow eyes stared at the town "Should we go now boss?" a rat asked, making the said eyes move slightly "No." he said,his voice smooth like silk "Let's wait a few more days, then...we'll get the girl rabbit and kill the snake."

"The snake? But she has nothin' to do-"

"Are you questioning my orders?" the voice asked, making the rat wince and shake his head in fear "Good, let's go back."

* * *

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN

Who are these people? :3

oh I dunnooo


	7. Chapter 7

Grace yawned loudly, her body aching because of the last night's party. She never had so much fun in her life, the only fun she had on the serpentarium was… well, she had fun by digging her head on the sand and coming back up.

Thinking again, it wasn't that fun.

Not at all.

The Gopher snake remembered that she had a training to do this morning and suddenly had a smile on her face. When she was about to tell Emily she was going out, her eyes widened at the sight of the Cottontail Rabbit humming a song while dancing with her broom in the middle of the kitchen; her cheeks flushed into a pink color.

"Miss Emily?"

The rabbit let out a loud yelp, her hand upon her chest where the heart should be "In Heaven's Name, Grace!" she said out of breath, smiling weakly "Ya scared me." Grace smiled mischievously, leaning against the window frame while watching the rabbit running her hands on her dress "I just wanted to say I am going out for a while."

Emily shot her head up "What? Where are ya goin'?" she asked, walking closer to the window "Ya been actin' strange since yesterday and I wanna know why!" Emily said, maybe a bit too harsh to the Gopher Snake. Grace blinked, offering her a gentle smile and a wave of her tail "I just want to explore, Miss Emily. Don't worry about me!"

Grace slithered away from the barrel house, making the Cottontail Rabbit frown slightly while clenching the broom on her hands "I'll try." She whispered quietly, before continuing her chores. The snake slithered into the desert, her eyes moving around trying to catch a glimpse of a certain rattlesnake "Hm." She bit the inside of her cheek while pausing her movements, feeling a chill darting on her spine as she felt eyes sending bullets on her skin "Jake?"

"Quiet."

Grace snapped her mouth shut, listening as the Rattlesnake slithered to her side. His eyes met hers and he gave a nod to his front, motioning to a small mammal she couldn't identify because of the distance "There's ya first lesson." Jake began, giving a slight sneer on his words "Kill the damn thing." he growled, making the young snake flinch slightly.

"Wha-how...I mean-"

"Squeeze it."

His words were so bold and direct that her body went cold "What?No!" with a violent series of head shakes, she spoke up again "I can't do it! I never killed anthing by squeezing,everything I got was already dead!" she said,whimpering at the harsh glare the male snake was giving her "I-I don't want to kill it." she murmured, looking at the small rocks on the ground.

Jake let out an annoyed growl, rolling his eyes at the Gopher Snake's words "Then ya will die here." he snarled, his eyes hardening towards Grace. He knew, deep inside; that he had seen those eyes before and those scales patterns...but he couldn't be so sure yet, he had to research further "Look, kid." he began, making those gray eyes stare up at him "This is how things work here: either ya kill or ya are killed. It's ya choice."

Grace paused, before taking a shuddering breath "W-What should I do then?" she asked, feeling a sickness starting on her stomach and going up to her throat- she thought she'd throw up any minute. Jake looked towards the mammal again 'Be quiet. if it turns around and see ya, hit the tip of ya tail against the ground repeatedly. It'll be too scared to run away." he explained, giving Grace a harsh nudge with his snout "Go."

The Gopher Snake looked back at him, then gulped loudly while slithering towards the mammal. It was a male mouse- clearly intoxicated- who was trying really hard to stay up while leaning on a rock. Grace took a deep breath, hitting the tip of her tail against the ground just like Jake had said. The mouse slowly turned around, blinked twice and took a long swig of the bottle he was holding "Finallyyy..." he slurred, tumbling towards the snake "I've been waiting for ya the whole, freaking...-hic- day!"

Grace stopped her movements and arched an eye ridge "You were?' she asked confusedly.

"Yeah! I mean, I've been trying to end my miserable life since..."' he looked at his fingers, confused and narrowing his eyes "Aw Hell! I can't even count now!" he hiccupped once more, taking one last swig of his beverage before throwing it over his shoulder "Okay, end me!"

'What?" Grace's voice was so quiet, the mouse tilted his head up to hear it "Y-You want me to kill you?" she asked. When the mouse nodded, she felt the sickness coming again "O-okay." she didn't really had a choice now.

She slowly started to wrap around the mouse's body, but didn't squeezed him enough "A lil bit tighter." he commented, blinking wearily as the snake started to breath violently. Her eyes moved to Jake, then the mouse, then at the view of her body squeezing the poor thing's soul. It was too much for her.

The mouse blinked as Grace slowly let go of him.

That scene made Jake have a flashback, his eyes widening as it finally clicked. He knew who Grace was!

"I'm sorry...I-I can't..." she whispered, slowly backing away from the mouse only to throw up behind a rock. When she was done, she gave one last cough before turning to Jake "I'm sorry." she whispered, feeling small tears forming on the corner of her eyes "I-I can't kill someone like that." she said quietly, slithering past him and going back to Mud.

Jake's eyes followed the snake as he saw the dagger like pattern on her scaled "I know kid." he whispered, his voice way too soft "Ya just like ya dad." he mumbled, slithering towards the mouse.

If Grace wasn't doing anything, he was.

Grace entered Emily's house again, her eyes wide and scared as she hyperventilated under the blanket. She heard quiet footsteps approaching her body and flinched when Emily lifted the blanket with worried eyes "Grace, are ya okay?" she asked quietly, her small paw touching the snake's snout gently, trying to soothe the poor thing "What's the matter?" she whispered, kneeling so she'd face Grace's eye.

The snake took a quiet deep breath, moving her eyes away in shame "I...I almost killed someone." she whimpered, clenching her lids shut while choking out a sob "He was drunk! He wanted me to kill him but I couldn't! I couldn't Emily! I...I..." Emily widened her eyes as Grace broke into tears, her whole body convulsing with the sobs "Grace, ya didn't killed him?"

Grace shook her head "No..." she sniffed, wiping her eyes "I couldn't do that to him. H-He was so drunk and weak...I-I..." she stopped her talking when Emily tapped her head, offering the snake a motherly smile "It's okay Grace...it's okay." the rabbit whispered, caressing the snake's head with a gentle hand "Ya are a good soul Grace, ya make me remember of someone." she began, sitting on the floor against Grace's coils "A few years ago, there was a snake called Jared." she began, with a warm smile "He, like you, was a Gopher Snake. He was enormous. One of the biggest snakes that I've ever seen."

Grace listened with wide eyes, remaining silent as Emily continued "We called him 'Gentle Jared', he was always kind and always helpful with everyone." she continued, hugging her knees and smiling softly "When I was younger, I used to listen to the many stories he shared. He was an adventurer." she frowned "However, one day...Jared disappeared. Only to be found in the middle of the desert,dead."

The young female snake widened her eyes in horror "H-How did he died?" she asked quietly, making the rabbit grimace "According to my father's friend Darren... he was shot in the the head." Emily whispered, then smiled weakly "Ya know...his mate was expecting another egg at the time, they already had two was so happy to tell everyone that."

"He sounded like a great guy."

"He was." Emily said, standing up "He has a small sanctuary, on the northern road. People go there to give him condolences or gifts." she said softly, wiping her dress with her small paws "I could take ya there someday."

Grace smiled softly "I'd like that very much." she whispered, giving a small yawn "I think I'll sleep now, Miss Emily. Good night." Grace smiled, huddling under the blanket as Emily closed the heavy door "Night Grace...sleep well." the rabbit gave a small sigh after. Her eyes moving towards the pattern on Grace's back, she hoped Grace would understand why she had told that story to her.

She really did.

* * *

Ugh!Yes!I did it!

R&R please :D


	8. Chapter 8

Grace woke up on the next morning with a deep headache, the events of yesterday's afternoon coming back like a full speed truck and hitting her brain with no mercy "Ugh." She groaned, her eyes clenching in pain as the blanket covered her head "My head hurts…" that quiet mumble echoed on the large room she stayed, however, she could hear Emily's footsteps inside the barrel house.

What time was it now?

The gray eyes looked at the bright star up in the sky, making Grace blink her lids gently "Must be lunch time." She groaned when her stomach let out a ravenous grumble, meaning that she needed food…and fast.

As if on cue, Emily stepped inside with a small smile "Mornin'." She said, holding two large eggs under her arms. Grace's pupils dilated at the sight and her tongue flicked out "Are those for me?" she asked quietly as the small rabbit gave a sigh of relief while placing the eggs on the ground.

"Yep!" Emily said, wiping her hands on her skirt "Kinski brought them to me." She said with a slight blush as Grace smiled mischievously, squinting her eyes a bit "He was kind enough to do so."

"Sure he was." Grace teased, making the female rabbit narrows her eyes in warning "I'm just saying!" the snake laughed, then let out a sigh with her eyes focused on the ground "Miss Emily… I have been thinking about something. I won't be able to hunt here, I can't kill a thing even if I was forced to…" she paused, before turning her fear filled eyes towards Emily "Am I going to die?"

The Cottontail Rabbit opened her mouth to speak, frowning when the words seemed to be stuck on her throat "Grace." She choked out, stepping towards the snake "Ya ain't goin' to die here, I promise you that."

"But I can't hunt."

Emily smiled "Ya know, I can still bring ya food… "She said softly "I don't mind. Neither do the people in town." The rabbit's voice was warming, it was actually the truth. Mud's citizens had acquired quite a soft spot towards the young snake, perhaps noticing she was clearly harmless to them.

"I don't want to be a burden." Came Grace's voice, quiet as a mouse's chirp.

"Ya ain't." Emily said, hands on her hips as she gave a side smile "Now eat, I'm sure ya are starvin'." She commented, nodding at the eggs before stepping outside to open the large door's fully.

Grace swallowed the eggs slowly, savoring their taste on her tongue; she had to thank Kinski for them later the day.

"MISS EMILY!MISS EMILY!"

Both females turned to where the voice came from, it was a young rabbit boy who was taking wheezing breaths for running such a long distance "Now, now Wybie, what did I told ya 'bout running so much-"

"Bad Bill is in the school!"

The Rabbit's eyes widened, then a sneer formed on her face "God DAMN IT!" she screamed, stomping inside her house, giving the front door a violent slam. Grace widened her eyes and tried to calm the rabbit boy with the tip of her tail "Calm down Wybie, everything will be f-"

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

Grace's movements paused; only moving her eyes to see Emily's angry walk towards the town- rifle in hand. The snake hurriedly slithered to her side "E-Emily, let's try to calm down okay? You could talk to him instead of-"she gulped "Shoving a rifle on his face."

"Imma shove this rifle some'ere else." The rabbit growled, approaching the school and watching as one of the desks flew out the window. The sheriff was hurriedly running to the scene, only to be stopped by the teacher "Sheriff, I won't need ya help in this!" she snapped, making the lizard jump back.

Rango cleaned his throat, before placing his hands on his hips "Miss Emily, as the town's sheriff-"

"As the town SHERIFF ya had to don't let them come into MY school!" she snarled, kicking the door open with her boot and pointing the rifle inside "ENOUGH!"

Bad Bill's gang stopped their movements. Stump was yanking some of the wood from the walls, exposing the outside; Chorizo was biting one of the chairs, gnawing a nice piece of wood, while Bad Bill was holding Emily's table up, with Kinski helping.

Her heart clenched at the sight, Kinski was helping Bill with this? The jackrabbit's eyes widened as he saw Emily's face "Miss Emily-"

The Cottontail gave a snarl, pointing her rifle towards them once more "I knew it was too good to be true!" she said, feeling her eyes sting with tears. The Gila Monster gave a chuckle "Oooh, ye going to shoot me? I'm so scared!"

Grace peeked inside the building "Emily! Put the rifle down! The sheriff will take it from here!" she said, blinking when Emily's hands shook violently. The rabbit growled, storming it out of the school and sitting on the floor- head in hands.

Rango, Wounded Bird and Avril, the store's owner went to arrest all the members from the gang "You'll spend a nice time in jail now, Bill." The lizard said, holding the Gila's arms back as his deputy held Stump and Chorizo with one hand. Kinski was the last one to come out, his blue eyes looking at Emily "Miss Emily." He called quietly, being tugged by Avril angrily "Enough boy, she doesn't need more to cry her eyes out!" the fox snarled, pulling the jackrabbit's arms harshly.

Grace was beside Emily, frowning at the scene of the jackrabbit being tugged into jail.

Something wasn't right in this.

Emily looked up from her hands, her eyes wet with tears as she entered the destroyed building. Her small paws dusted over the broken chairs and desks, a frown permanent on her face as her short nails dug into the wood.

The townsfolk went silent as Emily walked out into her house, her eyes empty and her mouth on a thin line. It wasn't just because of the school she was upset, they knew that but didn't dare to comment anything.

Grace followed Emily silently, her gray eyes moving down to the rabbit that just kept walking; not daring to look back. As the Cottontail's door was closed, the Gopher Snake stood in front of the house, her eye ridges down low and a small frown on her serpentine lips "Emily…"

She heard a choked sob coming from Emily's room and lowered her eyes; there was nothing she could do now that could make her friend feel better. The snake curled beside the barrel, right under Emily's window, just in case the rabbit needed someone.

Later that night, when Emily was asleep Grace slithered to Mud's jail; peeking into each tiny window trying to find a certain mammal. Her eyes narrowed when she met Bill's cell, the Gila met her gaze, gave her a smirk that made Grace's pupils shrink to a dangerous gaze. That seemed to work considering that Bill shrunk a little and his eyes widened in pure horror.

She was happy that she could at least scare something.

Grace finally found Kinski's window, peeking inside she saw the jackrabbit curled on a corner; facing the wall as his body shuddered because of the cold. "Kinski?" she called quietly, making one of his floppy ears raise just a little bit "Kinski! Wake up!" she whispered harshly, watching the jackrabbit turn around with wide eyes.

"Miss Grace?"

"Yeah! It's me! Come here!"

"Is Miss Emily with you?" he asked eagerly, his accent apparently turning into German as he rushed to the window, clenching the bars with his paws "No, unfortunately."She said with a small frown, making the jackrabbit nod sadly with his mouth in an 'o' shape.

"I wouldn't want her to see me too." He said quietly, lowering his head "She hates me now."

Grace looked at him with a worried gaze "Kinski, I don't understand…why you were so nice this whole week and now…now this happened?" she asked quietly, making the male jackrabbit look at his side. Kinski sighed, clenching the window's bars tighter "I wanted to stop them." He said quietly "I heard Bill's plan about giving Emily a lesson…and I wanted to stop them. When I saw what they were doing to the school…"

The pause made Grace's eye ridges lower "You didn't want them to destroy what Emily cared the most…" she finished, watching as he nodded mutely. Kinski looked at the floor "But when I was about to stop Bill…Miss Emily entered…and, I swear a part of me died when I saw the look on her face." He confessed, his voice quivering a bit.

"Did you tell the sheriff that?"

"Would they ever believe me?" he asked with a sad smile "I'm part of Bill's gang, I killed people here…who'd believe me?"

"I would."

Kinski's eyes met Grace's, who gave him a reassuring smile "I would believe you." She said again, making the jackrabbit wide his eyes and blink twice. A small, satisfied smile appeared on her face at his words.

"Thank you, Miss Grace. "his voice was kind and sincere, in his life in Mud none ever believed him. Not even the ones he worked with.

Grace curled her body against the jail, leaving her head up "You love Emily don't you?" she asked softly, making the jackrabbit flinches slightly and move his head to the side with a small and shy smile.

"Ja." He mumbled, feeling his cheeks getting warm "I do."

The Gopher Snake smiled and then looked around "I have to go now Kinski…but I think you should talk to the sheriff tomorrow. Tell him your part in all this." She said softly, waving him goodbye with the tip of her tail and slithering back to Emily's house.

Grace had a smile on her face before she went to sleep, her eyes moving to Emily's window and then back at Mud; she gave a quiet giggle and closed her lids only to fall in deep slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

Emily was up way before the first rays of sunshine appeared on the sky; her eyes had small dark bags under them- signaling a bad sleep. The female rabbit sipped her coffee, trying to maintain herself alert for the supposed events on the morning; she was going to rebuild the school…by her own.

She hadn't told the sheriff that, she thought the school was mainly her responsibility and as her responsibility, the female had to build it from scratch. The pale green eyes looked at the picture of her father hanging upon the wall, a serene look on his face "Oh dad." She began, leaning her cheek on her paw "What do I do?"

The silence in the house only made the rabbit even more upset.

She hadn't noticed when her head stumbled forwards, slamming against the table as she blacked out for the lack of sleep. Hours have passed, when Emily felt something nudging her side "Hrmm…" she grumbled, slapping what was bothering away…only to be poked again, this time a bit harder.

Emily's eyes opened slowly, moving to her left to see what was bothering her sleep so much "Hello Grace." She whispered, her cheek still pressed on the table "What do ya want?" the rabbit blinked sleepily, ready to fall back into her dreamland if the snake wasn't fast enough to answer the question.

"I just wanted to check on you." She replied sweetly, making the rabbit smile. Grace remembered Emily of a small, curious child inspecting her mother with bright innocent eyes "I mean, after what happened yesterday-"

"Let's not talk 'bout yesterday, please."

"Right." Grace said quickly, looking to the side awkwardly "Can I go out today?" she asked as the rabbit got to her feet "There's someone I want to see." Those words made Emily's ears snap up and one of her brows rose in suspicion.

"May I know who it is?" she asked, crossing her arms with the same look upon her face as she approached the window. Grace smiled sweetly "He's a friend…I…think." She responded, furrowing her eye ridges before turning into the chirpy thing she was "I just wanted to talk to him! Please Miss Emily! It won't be for long!"

Emily's pale green eyes met Grace's gray ones; they locked gazes for a few moments before the rabbit threw one of her hands up "Fine." She said with the other hand on her hip "Ya can go."

Grace smiled happily, nodding once and whispering a soft 'thank you' before slithering into the desert. Her gray eyes stung again because of the sun, damn those orbs! The tip of her tail rubbed against them, trying to ease the annoying pain that was forming "Ugh, stupid sun." she whispered, blinking twice and smiling when her eyes went back to normal.

Then she noticed something, has her body got more slender? She seemed longer than when she got into the desert. With a twist of her neck she saw that she was indeed changed, she grew a few inches apparently "Hm." She hummed, looking at the patterns on her back with pleasure "I look good!" she giggled, continuing her search.

Her body stopped when she saw Jake chewing- what seemed to be- a small bone, rolling it on his mouth as those fiery eyes turned to the other side "What do ya want?"

Grace jumped a bit, then formed a smile "Wanted to see you!" she said, slithering closer to him and stopping by his side. The rattlesnake rose and eye ridge without much concern and continued poking his fangs with the small bone, making the young female frown "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Like wha?" he asked, finally turning around to see her fully. His eyes widened just a bit, she surely had changed from when he met her…she was now looking more like a female than before. Jake's eyes moved to her longer body- she was still smaller than him, which was unusual since Gopher Snakes are almost twice the size of rattlesnakes-, stopping at the dagger patterns on her scales.

He had to agree she looked…attractive somehow. She just had to grow some balls and hunt something "Ya look diff'rent." He commented, poking the end of his gun on her snout "All grown up." He teased, making Grace blink innocently "I've noticed that too." She said, curling her body and laying her head upon her coils "Can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Okay, I'll ask you then."

Jake's frown deepened as he glared at the female snake by his side, remaining silent- meaning she could ask what she wanted. Grace opened her mouth once, closed it and opened again when the words appeared "Have you ever met a snake called Jared?"

The rattlesnake's body seemed to freeze at the Gopher Snake's question and his eyes slowly turned to her "Why the sudden question?" he asked, his voice faltering a small amount. Grace rubbed the tip of her tail behind her back and blew a raspberry with her lips "I dunno. Emily told me about him yesterday…I was curious. And since you know so much of the desert, I thought you knew him!"

The rattlesnake stared at the female by his side, not saying anything as Grace kept staring at him "Jake?" she asked quietly, almost in an unsure whisper "Jake, are you okay?" the end of her tail poked those harsh scales of his, blinking when he remained silent with his eyes distant.

"Never 'eard of him."

With that, he turned away and slithered far from the Gopher Snake; who stood there on the spot with a confused look on her eyes.

"W-Wait, WAIT!" she shrieked, slithering to his front and panting quietly "Okay, that was really creepy. I asked you a question, you didn't said anything for a long time and then you say you never heard of him?" she asked quietly, looking up at him with a confused gaze. Jake bared his fangs "No." he said simply, he sure was avoiding the subject "The damn guy is dead! Just let his soul rest, Damn IT! "he snarled, turning away from Grace.

The female snaked blinked with wide eyes "I…never mentioned he died." She mumbled, making the rattlesnake flinch.

Well,he was busted.

Jake sighed deeply, rubbing the end of his gun against his forehead "Damn ya, Jared. Why did ya girl had to come and ask for ya?" he whispered harshly, for none in particular. Grace watched when Jake turned his head towards her, nodding to the north "Come wit me, Imma show ya somethin'."

Grace nodded quickly- like a child obeying her parent-, staying by his side as they slithered together into the desert "Where are we going?" she asked curiously, getting a vicious glare as a response "I-I was just curious." She mumbled, lowering her head and moving her eyes away.

"Why are you so mean?"

The rattlesnake didn't moved his lips to reply the young female, eyes blinking in a slow pace as he slithered ahead of her. Grace huffed, glaring at him with her gray eyes before finally slithering to his side, mouth in a thin line. Jake slithered around a huge rock formation and nodded his head to her "Come on."

Grace gave him a quiet nod, moving closer to the rattlesnake and gasping at the one of the rock's walls was some sort of sancturay, flowers and melted candles adorned the sand as she looked up only to see a large snakeskin pinned in the wall.

The snake skin was golden and beige colored, dagger marks on it's scales and she saw a hole on where it's head was. The whole place made Grace feel comfortable enough to slither closer to the remains of what was a really big snake.

She hadn't noticed the somber look Jake had on his eyes, neither when he removed his hat and bowed his head in respect "There." he cleaned his throat "He is Jared." he mumbled, darting his eyes away from the sanctuary. Grace turned around with wide eyes "You knew him." she whispered, making the rattlesnake flinch "You...you really knew him."

"...I did."he paused, measuring his words "He was my friend." his voice was bitter and full of hatred as he continued "Everyone thought I was the one who shot a freakin' bullet though his skull."Jake sighed "But I actually was the one who found him."

* * *

_Jake rose his from from the rock as he saw Jared carrying a dead mouse on his mouth "I can't believe...ya killed somethin'? Holy Hell!I thought I'd never live to see this moment." he laughed, making Jared rolls his eyes while putting the dead prey on the ground._

_"Ya know I'd never kill something. He was already dead, I just got him." Jared explained, deep brown eyes closing as a grin stretched on his face. Jake chuckled, pointing his gun playfully down at the Gopher Snake "I didn't kill 'im. That I'm sure."  
_

_Jared smiled "I know, he'd probably be slowly turning into another victim of your gastric juice." he said while waving the tip of his tail towards the rattlesnake "See ya later Jacob."_

_"Jake."  
_

_The Gopher Snake chuckled before grabbing the mouse with his mouth, slithering towards his cave. Days had passed since then, Jake had not seen Jared for quite a while "Probably busy with the new egg." he muttered while leaning against a rock in the warm sun, a content smile on his face considering he ate quite a big rabbit for lunch.  
_

_That was when he heard the gunshot.  
_

_His whole body shot up, fiery eyes trying to find the source of the noise...he normally was the only one to cause such thing in the desert. The rattlesnake's nostrils flared as the smell of blood, fresh blood and not too far from where he was staying. Jake slowly slithered towards the scent, that was getting stronger as he got closer "I wonder who was the poor fella who touched the ground."  
_

_The red eyes narrowed at a lying silhouette in the distance...it was like a line, no limbs and he couldn't see the head. Could it be a snake?  
He hummed before moving faster, eyes widening as he approached the dead body.  
_

_It was Jared.  
_

_Jake's eyes widened in horror as he saw the huge hole on his friend's head, blood still coming out of the wound "No...oh no." he whispered,shaking Jared violently with his tail "Jared!JARED!" it was futile and he knew it, but Jared was his friend- his only friend-...he had to wake up!  
_

_"Jared...come on Big Guy." Jake begged, still shaking his friend dead body "Please Jared..." the rattlesnake stopped his movements, breath slowly leaving his lungs as Jared's empty eyes stared up at him. Jake closed his friend's lids with the tip of his tail before looking at the side with a snarl. There were footprints that disappeared on the main road where those strange metal creatures normally went by.  
_

_"I'll find out who did this to ya,Jared." his voice was bitter and quiet as he slowly turned around, leaving Jared's body on the warm sand.  
_

* * *

__Grace widened her eyes as the rattlesnake finished the sad story "Have you ever found the ones hwo did that?" she asked in a quiet voice, moving towards the male rattlesnake.

"No." he lowered his lids "But I know I will,I can feel it."

The female snake smiled gently "I'll help you if you want.I may not be a hunter...but I can observe stuff for you." she said, making the rattlesnake fight back a smile. She was a pretty little thing wasn't she?

_'She surely got ya wife's genes, Jared.' _he thought, patting the head of the Gopher Snake with his gun "Thank ya kid." he said, before cleaning his throat "Let's go rabbit friend is probably worried."he commented, giving the young snake a less menacing nodded, about to follow him, only to turn her head around towards Jared's Sanctuary "Rest in peace Jared." she said softly, following Jake as they went back to Mud in a comfortable silence.


	10. Chapter 10

Lots of Emily and Kinski on this one. Also, the new villains will be known in here :D

I had to write something with both, but I promise that the next chapter will have lots of Grace and Jake and even Grace's backstory ;D

* * *

With Grace out to meet her mysterious friend, Emily just sat on the red couch on the living room; the same somber look on her face as the pale green orbs stared at one of the barrel's walls in a pure moment of silence. What would she do now?

The school was ruined.

That was the only reason she remained on Mud…now it was gone.

The rabbit felt her eyes sting once more, her forehead being supported by her hand as the green eyes glared at the wood "I was so stupid." She growled, supporting her forehead on her hand as a heavy sigh left her nostrils. Faint knocks at the door made the rabbit raise her head "Who is it?" she asked, receiving no answer "Who is it?" she repeated, standing up from her seat while grabbing her faithful shotgun "I swear if it's one of those stupid bastards…"

Emily yanked the door open, pointing the shotgun at whoever was bothering her depressing moments "Who is it?" her voice was incredibly menacing, until her eyes widened "Oh my God."

"Hello Emily."

That voice.

"Darren?"

The opossum gave a side smile, before falling on his knees on her porch "DARREN!" she screamed, holding the male opossum's arm and helping him up "Oh my God! What are you doing here?" the Cottontail rabbit asked, groaning as the male couldn't stand up "Jesus wh-Oh my God! You were shot!"

Darren chuckled weakly, coughing some blood while pressing his hand to his side "It…doesn't matter…" he suddenly grasped her shoulder "You…you need to…" the opossum coughed once more, hissing in pain "The coyotes…they are here…"

Emily suddenly felt her body tense and her blood turn cold, a small gasp left her mouth "W-What?" she asked, shaking her head violently "W-We'll deal with this later, I'll take you to the doctor!" the rabbit screamed, groaning while looking around. If Grace was there, it'd be much easier to take the huge opossum to the doctor "Where is that damn snake?"

"Ms. Emily!"

Speaking of the Devil.

Grace's gray orbs went to the fallen opossum on the porch "Who is he?" she asked, quickly being interrupted by Emily dragging his heavy body towards the snake, the opossum's paws making deep lines on the dirt "Questions later, Grace. Take him to the doctor; I'll meet ya in a few."

The Gopher Snake nodded mutely, quickly slithering towards the doctor's office as Emily hurried back inside her house. Her hands were shaking violently, cold sweat starting to dribble down her brows as she locked all the doors of her house "I hope this is just a mistake. I hope this is just a mistake!" the rabbit kept repeating, until she finally walked towards the town- rifle in hand. Emily opened the door to the medic's office with her shoulder, keeping her face firm as she marched towards the older hare "Is he going to be okay?"

Doc looked up from the bed where the opossum was resting "Honestly?" Emily nodded "I believe so…however, the wound will be pretty big. It'll give him an ugly scar." He said, opening his small bottle to take a long swig. Emily sighed while rubbing her eyes with her hands "I see." She whispered, walking towards Darren and patting his shoulder "How are ya feelin'?"

The opossum took a long deep breath by his nostrils "Like a dead man." He gave a dry chuckle "Also, that snake is actually really nice. Thank her later, for me." The mammal smiled, coughing a bit while covering his mouth with his hand "Ah Hell." He chuckled once more while looking at the red spots on his palm "I need to stop smoking."

Emily had to fight back a smile as she looked at Darren, shaking her head "Try to rest, okay?' she said, patting his shoulder once more before walking out of the office with her rifle clutched on her hands.

"Ms. Emily?"

"Oh, hello Grace."

The snake offered a small smile before letting the rabbit sit on her back "Is he going to be okay?" she asked quietly, making Emily pat her head "Yes, yes he will."

There was an awkward silence as the two females stared at the clouds "Who are the Coyotes he kept talking about?" Grace asked, biting her tongue when Emily flinched and clutched her gun. The rabbit opened her mouth, only to close it again "The coyotes…" she sighed "They are a gang of outlaws. They've been around here since Mud was still Dirt." She began, rubbing her face with a paw "My dad…my dad was one of the bankers in town. He used to work with Mr. Merrimack …one day, those outlaws came here."

Grace blinked curiously as Emily took a shuddering breath "Dad confronted those outlaws with this very gun." She smiled, patting the shotgun's barrel affectionately "He and Jared managed to kick them out of town, my dad gave their leader a nice gift."

"A gift?"

'Yes." She chuckled "He shot that coyote's ear off." She said, making Grace wince and lower her ridges "Now, I believe they want revenge…that's why they are coming back. "Emily made that situation so simple, Grace had to lift one of her eyes ridges in surprise at the Cottontail Rabbit's words and then smile "If you need anything, I'm here."

Emily smiled sincerely, patting Grace atop of her head "I know." She said, noticing that Grace looked wide eyed at something "Um…Ms. Emily…" the snake pointed the tip of her tail to Emily's left, making the rabbit turn her head around.

Kinski was there. Eyes downcast and hands on his back as he kept his spot a few feet from Emily "What is he doing here?"

Grace smiled "Maybe he wants to apologize." She said, earning a glare from the female rabbit who clenched the gun on her paw. Emily had her snout up as she walked past the hunchbacked jackrabbit, eyes moving to the other side as his bloodshot eyes followed her "Ms. Emily…" he sighed sadly as the female rabbit just kept walking. Grace slithered close to Kinski, offering him a sympathetic smile "She hates me." He said sadly, his left nostril twitching before his hand rubbed against it.

Grace smiled "Now, don't be like that…maybe you should try talking to her later! And show her the flowers." She said, poking the colorful flowers behind his back with the tip of her tail. The jackrabbit nodded quietly, before making his way to his house, closing the door harshly.

That night, Emily was alone at the house- Grace had left with the kids for camping and probably won't be back until morning. Emily sighed while running a comb on her knotted locks, wincing every time the comb stuck on a hair knot "Damn it." She said, continuing on brushing her hair, until she saw someone walk past the window of her room. The rabbit froze on her seat, a shaky hand grabbing the rifle and clutching it to her chest.

Emily took a deep breath as the shadowy figure stood behind her front door "Okay, you bastard…let's see ya face." With that, she yanked the door open and widened her eyes at the figure on her porch "Kinski?"

The jackrabbit gave a side smile…that quickly disappeared when Emily's gun was pressed against his snout "What the HELL are ya doin' here?"

"I—I wanted to talk to you."

"There's nothin' to talk about."

Kinski showed Emily the flowers he had behind his back "I'm sorry, Ms. Emily." he whispered, gulping as the female rabbit narrowed her eyes. Kinski licked his lips before continuing "I wasn't destroying the school…I was trying to make Bill stop. I heard what they planned after you didn't gave them the money…I just…I couldn't let them do that to the school." He finished, sighing in relief as the rabbit teacher moved the gun out of his snout.

"Are ya…sayin' the truth?" she asked, earning a nod from the jackrabbit. Emily reluctantly lowered her shotgun, still glaring towards the jackrabbit "Get inside." She ordered, letting him walk inside her house before she shut it with a slam.

"Sit."

"Yes ma'am." He said quietly, sitting on her couch with his hands on his knees; as if he was one of her students. Emily leaned against the armchair of the couch, crossing her arms below her bust before she started to speak "So…explain. I'm all ears." She said bitterly, furrowing her eyebrows. Kinski tapped his thumbs before sniffing "Um…well, Bill, Stump and Chorizo were talking about giving you a lesson because you recused to give them the money. Which I find very brave of you, Ms. Emily." he smiled towards the female rabbit, but his smile turned into a frown as she continued her glaring.

The jackrabbit cleaned his throat "After…after they had everything planned and they told me about it, I told them I wasn't letting them do that because I know how much the school means to you." He said softly, taking a peek at Emily and noticing that her glare turned softer by his words "And um…I tried to make him stop. And that was it."

There was a killing silence on the house, Emily just stared at Kinski while he played with his thumbs "And then ya got arrested." She finished, making the jackrabbit nod. Emily sighed, moving away from the armchair to walk closer to the jackrabbit "Kinski." She began, sitting by his side "Why did ya do it?"

The jackrabbit gulped, feeling his skin burn below his fur "Cause…" he tugged at the collar of his shirt "You're very special to me…Ms. Emily." he said with a small smile and his head down "You saw me as a normal person…while everyone else saw me as a psycho. You see the good on people and that's what I like about you." Kinski whispered the last part, making Emily smile while touching his shoulder.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. "he said quickly, looking to the side. Emily smiled amusedly, feeling her cheeks burn below her fur as her eyes moved to her lap "I like ya too." She whispered, twiddling her thumbs as the jackrabbit's much larger paw slowly moved to grasp her own. Emily smiled at the movements of his hand; before he could react she had pressed her lips to his in a kiss.

"M-Miss Emily!"He said alarmed when Emily broke the kiss, feeling his insides doing backflips as he stared at the female Cottontail Rabbit.

"Yes?" she asked, biting her lower lip and staring at him with those jade colored orbs. Kinski went mute and gulped loudly, letting the teacher press their lips together again. His eyes fluttered closed by the feeling of those perfect little lips against his while a dumb smile spread on his face.

Emily moved her lips away, letting out a laugh as Kinski was still moving his lips in her direction "Kinski?" he peeked one eye open, flushing when Emily smiled "Come with me." Her small paw wrapped around his wrist as she tugged him to her bedroom. Kinski's eyes widened when he noticed where he was "Ms. Emily?" he asked, turning around to face her and blushing a very prominent red when he noticed Emily was hugging his torso. He almost rolled his eyes on the back of his head as her small paws pressed against his fur "Call me Emily." She whispered, standing on her tip toes before kissing his lips once more.

All the lights went out in Emily's house and everything went quiet.

For a few minutes.

Meanwhile, when Grace was with the kids-them all sleeping against her coils as she curled around them- she heard someone walking close. Her head rose before she saw a pair of yellow eyes in the distance, those eyes kept her frozen in place "W-What the…" her coils instantly moved closer to the children, to protect them if that THING was going to attack. Grace's eyes widened slightly as the thing in the distance grinned.

A grin that made a shiver rush down her spine.

She could see all of its bright white teeth, when suddenly…it was gone.

Grace was awake the whole night, her eyes still on the spot she had seen the creature-narrowing them slightly while letting out a breath "Need to talk to Jake."


End file.
